Just 24 Hours
by luv2watchtv
Summary: Friday evening 18:54; Gabriella Montez sat down to write the email. Saturday evening 18:54; Troy Bolton finished reading the email. It’s shocking what 24 hours can do to your life. A lot of things can change in that time - turning your world upside down
1. Chapter 1

**Just 24 hours**

**Summary:**

Friday evening 18:54; Gabriella Montez sat down to write the email. Saturday evening 18:54; Troy Bolton receives the email. It's shocking what 24 hours can do to your life. A lot of things can change - turning your world upside down

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own High School Musical

**A/N **

So – this idea was pestering me throughout the week. I jotted down random parts whenever I could; however, it's been one hell of a hectic week.

I'm thinking that this will either be a two shot or a three shot. I'm not sure yet how long it will be. I'm guessing probably a two shot. I actually haven't finished writing any other parts – I've only written down random parts from the next chapter - but the chapter is nowhere near finished.

I should be able to update this in a couple of days. The more reviews I get telling me what you thought, the happier I'll be. And if I'm happier I'll be able to make finish off quicker and post sooner! Lol!

* * *

The clock read 18:54

Gabriella Montez sat at her desk, a desk lamp the only source of light illuminating the bedroom. Her finger poised over the laptop keys.

_Dear Troy_

_Right now I honestly_

Gabriella hit the backspace key once again.

"Shit…" she leant her elbows on the desk and rested her head in her hands. How hard was it to write an e-mail?

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella started again

_Dear Troy_

_I know that this may not exactly be what you want to hear_

"I can't start an e-mail like that!" Gabriella groaned to herself. She started typing again, and again, she deleted what she had written.

She couldn't think

Her mind was drawing a blank

But she would sit there until she wrote it – she had to.

--

The shrill sound of a phone ringing attracted the attention of Gabriella. Gabriella looked at the time on the phone and inwardly sighed

20:12

She'd still hadn't been able to come up with anything decent enough to be sent

"Hello?" Gabriella answered

"Gabs?" the voice responded

"Shar? What's up?" Gabriella asked, turning her attention away from the laptop screen where the blank page stared dauntingly at her

"Nothing much. Just bored - and Ryan's refusing to sing with me. Something about 'not wanting to be my poodle any more'"

Gabriella smiled. Ryan Evan's was the unfortunate twin brother of her best friend. Being the twin, Ryan was forced to spend ample of time with the dramatic blonde. And sometimes, he was accused of being her poodle - her follower - by the general East High population.

"Well - you do tend to boss him around a bit Shar. Maybe he's tired of that..." Gabriella hinted, knowing full well from previous conversations with the blonde boy that he was _most definitely_ tired of it.

"Whatever Gabs - I didn't ring to talk about my brother..."

"So why did you ring?" Gabriella asked looking again at the time.

20:15

She wanted to get this e-mail done and hopefully sent tonight

"Troy Bolton"

Gabriella nearly dropped the phone at the sound of his name. She cleared her throat before replying

"What about Troy?" Gabriella was aware that her voice had risen. She could just imagine Sharpay's smirk

"I was wondering when you were gonna get your ass out of your head and tell him that you're crushing on him bad" Gabriella rolled her eyes. She was in no mood for this type of conversation - especially considering that she was in the middle of the hard task of writing an e-mail to Troy telling him just that

"Shar. The saying is getting your head out of your ass - not your ass out of your head..." Gabriella said smiling

"Shit. Oh well - do I look like someone who sticks to the original sayings? You know me Gabs - I change everything" Sharpay tried to justify

"Whatever – now is there an actual point to this conversation or are you going to let me go?"

"Gabriella Montez – do you not _want_ to talk to your best friend? If I remember correctly – it was you who would stop mine and Chad's make out sessions because you were 'confused' about whether or not you should hang around Troy and all your feelings for him. And I gave up _Chad's make out sessions_ to help you. And now – you don't want to talk to me!" Gabriella rolled her eyes at the all to predictable dramatic speech that Sharpay Evan's was giving.

"Of course I want to talk to you Shar…"

"And you really should stop trying to distract me…"

"I'm sorry Shar – but I really do need to get going…"

"Why? Is someone with you? Is Troy coming over? Because if he is I'm coming over right now to make sure you look presentable – knowing you, you'd probably let him see you in those disgusting sweats of yours. You know Gabs you've got to learn to dress sexier – it'll turn him on and he will totally not be able to restrain his feelings from you…"

Gabriella sighed once more. She really did not have time to deal with Sharpay's talks.

"Shar – no one is here and no one is coming over. I just have some stuff to do that's all…" Gabriella said, purposefully not telling her _what_ stuff she had to do.

"Fine then – I'll just call Chad… maybe he'll come over?"

"Sure Shar – I'll text you later…"

Gabriella hung up the phone

20:36

Gabriella resumed her attempts of writing the email which would confess her feelings to Troy. She knew that it would have been better to do it in person; however, Gabriella was scared - scared of being rejected. So she decided to do it the cowards way.

She decided to confess her feelings through an email

Gabriella knew that it was probably the most impersonal way to tell someone that you have feelings for them. However, she really had thought through all the other options - and this was the one that would get the message across in the least embarrassing way.

* * *

Gabriella smiled triumphantly as she hit 'send'. After numerous attempts to get her feelings down, she decided to just write what she thought – no editing, no attempting to rewrite.

She just wrote down her feelings – true and honest.

It was 22:08 – a long time had passed since she had first sat down to write to Troy; however, she felt it was time well spent

"Gabriella!"

Gabriella jumped at the sound of her mother's voice

Running down the stairs to where her mum was, she was confronted with her mum standing in the kitchen, pots and pans on the stove, chopping boards on the table, ingredients on every flat surface available

"Gabi, we've run out of flour!"

Gabriella looked around at the busy kitchen in awe.

"What do we need flour for mum – at this time of night?"

"Gabi – weren't you listening to a thing? We've got your dad's bosses coming over tomorrow evening for dinner – and the cooking starts now!"

"At ten at night?" Gabriella asked, observing her younger brother rolling out some pastry, a bored expression on his face.

"Yes – now go to the 24 hour store and buy some flour…"

Gabriella rolled her eyes; however, grabbed her car keys and headed out of the door.

She was in too much of a happy mood to argue with her mother.

Walking out of the front door, Gabriella groaned as the cold drops of rain hit her.

"Shit…" Gabriella ran to her car, pulling open the door and jumping in. Switching the car on, she turned up the heating as it was cold outside.

Just then her phone rang

Rolling her eyes at the caller id she answered it

"Shar – what is it?"

"Chad and I nearly had sex…"

Gabriella nearly dropped the phone. Turning the car off she sat back in the seat and prepared to listen to what Sharpay had to say

"And how the hell did this happen? I thought you said you wanted it to be all romantic – you wanted to lose your virginity on prom didn't you?"

"Which is why I stopped. I told him that I had dreamed of losing my virginity to a boyfriend I'd been going out for a reasonable amount of time. And that I would love to lose it on prom. I mean Gabs, you have to admit, my whole dream was kind of far fetched don't you think? It's not like I would have actually been in a relationship that long with a guy – I'm too demanding. But Chad's different. He argues back with me, he doesn't accept my shit and yet he still manages to treat me well. And I want him to be the one – I just want to fulfil some part of my dream…"

Gabriella sighed. When Sharpay had first told her what she wanted, she knew that it would be very unlikely. Whilst Sharpay attracted guys on first glance, her demanding diva personaility drove them all away. There were only a few people who could stand up to the blonde. Gabriella and Chad.

Gabriella met the Evan's twins at a park at the tender age of four. Gabriella was playing on the swings, Sharpay wanted the swings. The fight was the start of their friendship.

Sharpay and her had gotten along well together. She would manage to tame Sharpay, whilst Sharpay gave Gabriella the confidence to stand up for herself.

And then Chad came along. From the age of fourteen, Gabriella was forced to listen to the petty arguments the two would have for three years. She was forced to listen to the whinging of Sharpay as she constantly moaned about that 'big haired, basketball obsessed, bastard'.

To be honest, Gabriella had secretly admired Chad for standing up to her best friend. So when the two decided that instead of wasting their time arguing, they would start dating, Gabriella was a lot happier.

Of course – she didn't anticipate on being thrown together with Troy Bolton.

Troy Bolton – Chad Danforth's best friend.

Troy Bolton, the son of Jack Bolton.

Jack Bolton – her father's worst enemy.

The fathers had been rivals in their high school days. Each despised the other

And their families were brought into that rivalry

To Gabriella, there was only one fault with the relationship between Chad and Sharpay.

It meant she had to spend time with Troy Bolton.

The sound of knocking on the window of the car, caused Gabriella to stop listening to Sharpay and look confusedly at the hazy figure outside her window. She could just about make it out to be her brother. Rolling down her window she asked confused

"What?"

"Gabs! Hurry up with the flour – mums going mental!"

Gabriella nodded, winding up the window and turning the key in the ignition

"Shar! Listen I'm driving now – mum wants me to pick up something. I'll talk to you later okay?" Gabriella said as she pulled out of the driveway, turning on the wipers so that she could see clearly

"You know Gabs, it feels like you're avoiding me. I mean Chad and I nearly had sex! I nearly lost my virginity – and all you can say is that you'll talk to me later…"

Gabriella sighed again. Sharpay was pissed off.

"Alright Shar – keep talking, I'll put you on speakerphone. Just don't mind the noise – it's raining outside…"

Gabriella drove along the street, listening to Sharpay's rambles. She made it to the store and looked at the time

22:29

Grabbing the phone, Gabriella turned off the car. Opening the door she exclaimed when the force of the rain hit her.

"Shit!" Gabriella swore as the droplets hit her

"Gabs? You alright?" Sharpay's voice stopped talking about her and Chad, and for once was laced with concern

"Fine Shar – just got out of the car. Carry on talking…"

The rain was pounding onto Gabriella with full force, the sound almost making it impossible to hear her best friend. The water was running down her face, making it harder for her to see.

Gabriella started to cross the road when she was aware of a honking sound. Looking up, she dropped the phone in shock as she saw blinding lights heading straight for her.

The bloodcurling scream barely had time to leave her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just 24 Hours**

**Summary:**

Friday evening 18:54; Gabriella Montez sat down to write the email. Saturday evening 18:54; Troy Bolton receives the email. It's shocking what 24 hours can do to your life. A lot of things can change - turning your world upside down

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High School Musical

**A/N** I just want to say that I don't know anything about medicine except what I watch on TV shows (and those TV shows are only just a few that I've seen.) Therefore, I may have some technicalities wrong such as the operations and stuff so I apologise for things like that. I tried to research, but it was hard and I didn't know what exactly I was looking for.

Also, this kind of ended up being longer than I had originally anticipated. I ended up having all these other parts evolving as I wrote so I'm sorry about that. And then if I cut it out, other parts of the story wouldn't make so much of sense.

I would also like to say thank you to all those who reviewed. I was quite shocked with the number of people who favourite this story and put it on their alerts. I'd like to see what you think of this as well so please review.

* * *

Troy Bolton lay on his bed, his covers tangled around his legs, one arm slung off the bed. A soft snore could be heard coming from the sleeping teenager.

Troy stirred as the ring tone of his mobile could be heard. Opening one eye lazily, Troy glanced at the time.

04:24

It was too early for a Saturday

Groaning as he sat up, Troy reached over to the bed side table, grabbing the ringing phone

"This better be fucking good. It's too early to be up on a Saturday Chad..."

"Troy! It's Gabi"

The sound of her name instantly woke up Troy. His eyes opened up wide and he sat up straighter, swinging his legs off the bed to rest them onto the wooden floor.

"What about Brie..." Troy asked, his brow furrowing as in those few seconds Troy tried to think of the multiple situations she could be in/

"She's been in an accident - Troy she's in hospital and they don't think she's going to make it..."

Troy's world froze. Shivers went through his spine. Troy dropped the phone, consequently ending the call.

And then it was as if he was running out of time.

He jumped up immediately, pulling on a t-shirt and jeans that were thrown on the floor from the previous day over his boxer clad figure. Grabbing his phone and keys, Troy pushed his feet through his shoes and took off.

Running down the stairs, he noticed his dad sitting at the kitchen table. He knew that his dad had a meeting to get to that was going to be a long drive. Troy's dad stared in shock at his son but Troy had no time to answer questions

Time was running out

"You're up early Troy" Jack Bolton spoke, looking in awe at his son whom he knew would never wake from his bed before noon on a Saturday. He sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and holding a cup of coffee to help wake him up

"Can't talk dad - gotta go..."

And he was out of the door, running to his car and pulling himself in.

Starting up the car, he took off, tyres screeching as he went from 0 to 40 in a matter of seconds.

He glanced at the clock

04:32

Troy pushed down on the accelorator. He needed to get to the hospital as fast as he could.

* * *

Sharpay paced up and down the hallway, her heels clicking against the polished floors.

"Where the fuck is he Chad - it's twenty to five. I thought you said you rang him fifteen minutes ago..."

"I did Shar - and it's a twenty minute journey - he'll be here sometime soon..."

"He better hurry the fuck up. He'd want to see her before she goes for surgery..."

"What times she going in then?" Chad asked as he watched his girlfriend pace up and down before him

"Who fucking knows? Bloody doctors won't tell us – just because we happen to be teens!" Sharpay glared furiously at the reception desk

"They'd have to tell us sometimes soon…" Chad reasoned

The hallway doors were flung open and a dishevelled Troy ran in, speeding up as he saw Sharpay and Chad

"What the fuck happened?" he breathed, as he stopped and tried to catch his breath

"Car accident – Gabi's mom called me. She's going to be going in for surgery sometime soon." Sharpay said, her face pale without her usual make up. The blonde girl looked nothing like her normal self, her hair dishevelled, her clothes instead of the usual sparkle or pink was instead grey sweats and an old white vest top

"I need to see her…" Troy said already

Chad and Sharpay exchanged worried glances

"Troy – we'll need to get her mum out of there first."

"Fuck them – this is Brie we're talking about here. If something happens I'm not going to spend my life thinking that I could have seen her one last time if it wasn't for her mother…"

"Troy – her parents will flip! And then you two will be in deep shit. You know how they will get. We'll work on getting her out of the room – you stay hidden. You can't waste time rowing with Gabi's mum…"

Troy nodded, sitting down on the chair besides Chad and flipping open his phone to check the time.

05:46

Chad and Sharpay stood and quickly walked over to the room where Gabriella was unconscious. Sharpay opened the door and looked inside.

Gabriella's mum was sitting besides the bed, tears streaming down her face as she saw her daughter.

Sharpay let her gaze rest on her best friend.

Gabriella's face was pale and there was a huge cut on her head. Her hair lay limply beneath her, matted and tangled. Her body was covered with the hospital gown; however, the cuts and bruises were clearly visible beneath. Connected to her was a drip and a monitor checking her heart beat.

"Ms Montez…?" Sharpay spoke softly. Gabriella's mum looked up, tears running down her face

"Yes Sharpay?"

"Do you know when she's going in for surgery?"

Her brow furrowed

"No. The doctors said something about her haemorrhaging and they're trying to get her into an operating theatre as soon as possible. Anytime within the next fifteen minutes they said…"

"Haemorraghing? I'm no medical genius or anything but isn't that supposed to be really bad?" Chad asked Sharpay

Sharpay rolled her eyes

"You're not helping here Chad. Anyway Miss Montez, I was wondering whether I could have some time along with Gabi – you know, just before she goes in…" Sharpay honestly did want to have time along with her best friend. She looked at the girl who had stood besides her a majority of her life and felt the tears fall down her face again.

Chad noticed his distressed girlfriend, and carefully placed an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

Ms Montez looked at her daughter. Taking her hand, she delicately ran it down her daughter's cheek, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Sure…" she said before retreating out of the room leaving Chad and Sharpay alone.

"Chad – I want some time alone. You go and get Troy in the meantime…"

Chad nodded, knowing that this was what Sharpay needed, and walked out of the room after placing a kiss in a similar fashion to Gabriella's mum on his friend's forehead.

Sharpay sat down in the chair, staring at her friend. She knew she didn't have long. Troy would come in soon and he would have to be gone quickly before they came to take Gabriella into surgery.

"Gabi – you've got to promise me something." Sharpay addressed her unconscious best friend. "You've got to promise me that you'll make it through this. That come prom time you'll be the one I go dress shopping with. That you'll be the one telling me that everything will be alright. That you'll be the one calming me down when I get mad. You've got to promise me that you'll pull through this shit and be right back with us. And as soon as you get out of this I swear to God you are going to stop dancing around with Troy – I'm going to see to it personally that you end up happy with him." Sharpay's eyes teared up again as she held her best friend's hand

"And I'll make you a promise. I promise that once you're out of this, I'll stop being so narrow minded and self involved. Maybe – maybe if I hadn't been talking to you on that phone, you'd have paid more attention and would have seen that fucking car coming. I promise you Gabi – when you get out of this, I'm going to be the best friend you could ever ask for. I know that you've put up with all my shit these years – and now it's time for me to be here for you…" Sharpay broke down there, resting her head on the edge of Gabriella's bed, her tears soaking onto the sheets.

Warm hands around her shoulder made her raise her head.

"Come on babe…" Chad lifted her out of the seat and led her to the door. She took one final glance to see that Troy had settled himself on the edge of Gabriella's bed and was caressing her bruised face.

"She'll pull through this Shar – she will…"

--

Troy sat on the edge of the bed, his hand gently caressing Gabriella's cheek. His eyes watered as he looked on at the cuts and bruises that were spattered around Gabriella's body. He knew she was in bad condition, he knew she may not make it.

And yet all he could do was hope

"I love you Brie…" he whispered.

That was all he needed to say. He couldn't bring himself to talk to Gabriella the way Sharpay had. He didn't want to hurt like this.

He just wanted Gabriella – he wanted Gabriella to be his.

But he knew that the chances of that happening were nil. Their families were enemies. The duo had started out as enemies. And even though they had grown to like each other, a relationship would never work

But Troy could only dream.

A noise outside of the door startled him. The sound of the Gabriella's mum's voice sent a chill through Troy.

"Sharpay – why can't I go in there? My daughter is currently lying in there unconscious and alone…"

The sound of the door knob opening froze Troy. He glanced at the clock above Gabriella's bed

06:01

The time hell will break out

The door opened and Gabriella's mum walked in, freezing when she saw who was sitting besides her daughter

"Troy Bolton…" she whispered, her face frozen with shock and disgust.

Troy stood up slowly, his eyes on the woman in front of him.

"Ms Montez…" he said, his hand still wrapped around Gabriella's hand

"Why are you here? Why are you touching my daughter?"

The truth?

Or the lies?

"I love her…"

The truth it was then

Gabriella's mum froze. She looked at her daughter and then again at Troy's sincere face. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Troy's hand lightly caressing Gabriella's.

"You're a Bolton…" Ms Montez stated the obvious, as if to explain why he couldn't love her.

"Yes – but I'm also Troy. Brie's a Montez. But she's also Gabriella. I love her. And I know the only emotion between a Bolton and Montez should be hate. But it isn't…"

"Enough! Get out of the room…"

"Ms Mon-" Troy attempted to speak

"Now! I've got enough to deal with right now then worry about some adolescent Bolton falling for my daughter…" Gabriella's mum turned her back on Troy, a clear indication that he was dismissed, as she went to stand by the small window.

Troy sighed. He should have waited at a more suitable time. But really, what other explanation would there have been?

* * *

Troy sat in the waiting room along with Chad and Sharpay.

"Troy we're sor-"

"Don't even fucking say it Shar. It's not your fault. You tried – you did your best…" Troy said, leaning his head against the wall

"How long do you think the surgery will take?" Chad asked

The doctors had come into the room, minutes after Troy had left. Gabriella was wheeled away to surgery.

"We don't know – it depends." Sharpay answered

The group sat in the bleary room, looking around at the empty chairs.

"Where _is_ Ms Montez?" Troy asked. He knew that she would have to be somewhere.

"She could have gone to call the rest of the family…" Sharpay answered

A brooding silence overcame them

"What exactly happened? I mean the details – all I know was that she was in a car accident…" Troy asked, his voice merely a whisper

Sharpay dropped her head. The memory of the fear and panic she had felt as she heard Gabriella's scream still was rang clearly through her. She was there, in a way, hearing the agony of her best friend.

"She went to pick up something for her mum. She said it was raining hard. She reached there. I was on the phone to her, she got out of the car – and she swore because of the rain. I could hardly hear anything she was saying – it was really bad reception. I remember thinking 'Bloody hell it's good I bought her that expensive phone with fantastic reception'. I asked her if she was ok. She said yes – it was just the rain. And then I guess she stepped into the road. I couldn't really hear that much, but what I could hear was her scream. It was horrifying. I stood there thinking 'What the fuck as just happened?' All I knew was that my best friend was screaming. Then the line went dead…"

Sharpay's voice was thick with tears. She started sobbing towards the end and Chad put his arms around her shoulders.

Troy stared ahead. His face blank of emotion – and yet, his mind was going through so many. He could almost feel the fear that Gabriella would have felt, as she saw the car coming towards her. The pain as it collided with her fragile body. The hurt

Troy looked up and his eyes caught the time of the clock

06:27

* * *

Ms Montez walked outside, letting the fresh air hit her face

Troy Bolton

Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez – her daughter

Troy and Gabriella

Despite what that boy had said, he was still a Bolton – and Gabriella was still a Montez.

The two were destined to hate

The older woman wrinkled her nose as she thought of her daughter hanging around with _that boy_.

Her face contorted with disgust – and yet her eyes showed underneath the understanding

A Bolton and a Montez

Her husband would flip a shit if he found out

Everyone would flip a shit

She flipped a shit

And yet – she was the one who understood them the most

* * *

**A/N** So I have a horrible feeling that this is going to be longer than I anticipated. I mean – at first it was only going to be a two shot or at most a three shot. But then I started going more into the characters backgrounds and now I'm saying that it's either going to be one hell of another long chapter next time or at least another two/three more.

Also, I would like to ask those who haven't reviewed to leave a comment about what you thought. If you didn't like something, was confused about something, liked something e.t.c. then I really would like to know. Your thoughts and opinions really help me when I write. If you don't want to leave your comments in a review, then feel free to PM me. I would just really like to know what you thought worked in the chapter and what you thought didn't.

XxxNicolexxX


	3. Chapter 3

**Just 24 Hours**

**Summary:**

Friday evening 18:54; Gabriella Montez sat down to write the email. Saturday evening 18:54; Troy Bolton receives the email. It's shocking what 24 hours can do to your life. A lot of things can change - turning your world upside down

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High School Musical

**A/N**

Ok, so where do I start? How about an apology for getting this out so late. I really am truly sorry to have kept you waiting this long – I didn't think it would take this long to write one chapter. However, school as been building up all this work on me (I seriously regret choosing the courses I did) and my free time is practically nil.

Hopefully, the next chapter (which will be the final) will be out sooner. I've already started writing that so you never know…

Anyway, thank you so much to all those who reviewed! It was amazing to see you're kind words and thoughts. And I just want to say that all of you who have got this story on their alerts or favourites, please review and tell me what you think.

* * *

Troy still sat in the same place, staring vacantly at the wall. His gaze flickered upwards as he stared at the clock

07:18

He jumped in surprise when he heard a voice next to him

"She'll be alright…"

Troy looked to the side to see that Chad had come to sit beside him

Sharpay was no where to be seen

"Where's Shar?" he asked curious

"Ryan came and picked her up – told her to go home, have a shower, eat something, maybe rest and then come back later. I want to see how you're doing…"

"Her mum knows now…" Troy murmured, his mind flicking back to the memory of him standing in the hospital room, an unconscious Gabriella besides him as her mum walked in the door.

Chad sighed

"Yeah – probably not the best of timing…"

Troy looked away, tears threatening to flow from his eyes

But he couldn't cry

"Distract me man – talk to me about some random shit. Just distract me…"

Chad could hear the desperate tones of Troy's voice. He decided to comply

"Sharpay and I nearly had sex…"

Troy turned to look at his best friend sharply. He knew from Gabriella that sex to Sharpay was a big deal. That she wanted it to be special. He had passed this information onto his best friend

"You two nearly…"

"Yeah. We were so close. But then I heard your voice in the back of my head. How fucked up is that?" Chad laughed lightly, knowing that this conversation was calming Troy. "I'm about to have sex and all I can hear in my head is your voice telling me how special Sharpay wanted it to be. I stopped then – she got a bit stroppy. But I told her that I knew she wanted it to be perfect. And I was going to do that for her…"

Troy smiled in admiration of his best friend. He knew that most teenage boys wouldn't do that.

"And what did she say then…?"

"Dude! The chick nearly jumped me. She got so happy and emotional – it was out of there…" Chad laughed again, happy to hear a light chuckle from Troy.

* * *

"Yes come down now. She's in surgery…" Ms Montez hung up the phone as she finished talking to her husband. Walking over to the bench outside of the hospital she sat down and closed her eyes.

"_You hear me Maria – you're not going to see that bastard's son again"_

_Maria Montez sat on the couch of her living room, tears streaming down her cheeks as she listened to her angry parents shout_

"_Why not dad? Why not?"_

"_Haven't I always told you – he's from a good for nothing family…"  
_

"_Dad! You don't get along with his family but Robbie's amazing!"_

_Maria's father stood up._

"_He's from that family. He's not amazing. And I forbid you to see him!"_

_Maria looked pleadingly towards her mum_

"_Mum – please!" Her voice was begging, pleading with her mother to help her out_

"_I'm sorry Maria – but your father's right. You are not to see that boy again…"_

Opening her eyes, Maria wiped away the stray tear that had fallen from her eye. She never did see Robbie again. And even though, three years later, she found her husband Jose, her mind would always wonder what had happened to her first love.

* * *

Sharpay rushed through the house, grabbing the piece of toast with cheese she had phoned for the cook to make. She smiled lightly as she remembered the shocked voice of the cook – for Sharpay had never had just a piece of toast for breakfast.

"Ryan – I need to get to that hospital soon. So be ready to leave in 5 minutes…" Sharpay's voice called through the house.

Ryan's head popped around the door to his sister's room

"Shar – I told you once. I'm not leaving here until you've had a few hours of sleep. You need to have a shower as well because – to be honest, you bloody smell. Get some rest sis and then I'll wake you up…"

"Gabi needs me Ry…"

"Gabi is in surgery. She'll be unconscious. And whilst she is sleeping – you should be too. Then when she wakes up, you can be right there by her side…" Ryan cut off his sister. He watched as Sharpay contemplated the idea before sighing as a way to show she relented.

"A few hours Ry – don't let me sleep for the whole fucking day…"

* * *

"We should go home Troy…"

Troy looked at his best friend like he was insane.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? The girl I love is in there right now and you want me to go _home_?"

Chad rolled his eyes

"Troy – she's in surgery. We haven't slept properly. You look like you're about to drop dead. She's not going to get out and wake up until at least five or six hours – and that's at least. We should go home, freshen up, sleep. Then come back again in a few hours freshened up. So that once she wakes up we won't look like fucked up people to her."

"I'm not leaving this hospital Chad…"

"Don't then. But you know that this is what Gabi would be telling you now…"

Troy sighed. He knew his best friend was right.

Glancing at the clock he noted the time

07:57

He should be back in three hours

* * *

The bright light of the afternoon rays shone through the drawn blinds in Sharpay Evan's bedroom, illuminating the room a dusky pink colour. Ryan Evan's peeked his head around the door and smiled as he saw his twin sleeping.

It was 11:34

She would kick his ass already because he allowed her to sleep that long.

It was time to wake her up.

Walking gently across the carpeted room, Ryan carefully sat on the bed beside his sister. She shifted from the weight

"Shar…" he started whispering. He knew that she didn't like to be woken up with a start

Gently nudging the blonde girl, Ryan whispered again.

Sharpay moved and murmured something incoherent underneath her breath before pushing his arm away.

Ryan sighed and placed his arm back on her shoulder, nudging her more firmly.

"Shar…" he spoke with a normal voice; however, it was still soft. "Shar – it's time to wake up…"

Sharpay opened one eye lazily. She glanced at Ryan and realisation seemed to dawn on her as she suddenly shot up in bed, pushing Ryan out of the bed and throwing the covers off of her

"Why does the clock say that it's past 11:30 Ry? You were meant to be waking me up after a COUPLE of hours! Not FOUR fucking hours!

Ryan cringed and quickly rushed out of the room, eager to escape his sister's wrath.

Sharpay rolled her eyes at her brothers feeble escape and quickly jumped out of bed

--

Sharpay walked into the hospital and into the waiting room. She was confronted with Troy and Chad sitting in the chairs.

Troy sat still, staring vacantly at the wall whilst Chad looked up at the entrance of his girlfriend.

"Shar…" Chad stood up and walked over, reaching Sharpay in four quick steps before engulfing her in a long hug. Sharpay hugged him back, seeking the warmth and comfort that she craved in his arms.

"Did you get some rest?" Chad asked, pulling away to look at Sharpay

"Yeah… and you?"

"Arrived here ten minutes ago…"

Sharpay nodded before resting her head on his shoulder

"Is she out of surgery yet?" she murmured

"Yes – the doctors said she's still unconscious. They'll let us visit when she wakes up…"

Sharpay sighed with relied at the answer, knowing that her best friend was now getting better. Looking past Chad's shoulder, she noticed Troy sitting there –staring fixedly at the wall

"How's he been?" she asked, concern lacing her voice

Chad looked behind him, his gaze softening as he saw his best friend.

"No idea – her mum finding out sure doesn't help. He just seems to be in that daze…"

Sharpay nodded in understanding. Glancing at the clock, she sighed

12:28

* * *

Jose Montez strode through the hallway, his face a mask of anger. His mind went back to the moment that occurred just minutes ago. The moment which riled up the deep hatred

"_Is she alright?" Jose rushed into the entrance of the hospital and upon seeing his wife blurted out the question._

"_She's just come out of surgery… she's still unconscious…" Maria Montez spoke_

"_How did this happen?"_

"_She was walking – a car hit her. Sharpay heard it all on the phone. Poor girl rang me screaming her head off. I could hardly understand a word…"_

"_Sharpay?" Jose asked curiously_

"_Yes – you know, her blonde friend. The rich one…"_

"_You mean the spoilt brat?" Jose said_

_Maria rolled her eyes. Jose did not like Sharpay_

"_Yes Jose." _

"_Shall we go to the waiting room then?"_

_Maria froze. She debated whether or not she should tell her husband about the unwelcome guest who was currently seated in the waiting room. Jose would get even mad. And despite the fact that she despised and hated the Bolton's, she didn't have the heart to tell the boy that he couldn't wait for her daughter. He had done nothing but sit there and wait. _

_He wasn't bothering her. _

_He wasn't upsetting her. _

_He was just sitting there_

"_Jose – I don't think that would be such a good idea…" Maria started off cautiously_

_Jose frowned_

"_Why not?" he demanded_

_Maria hesitated. "The Bolton's boy is in there…" _

_Her voice was merely a whisper – but Jose Montez heard it loud and clear._

"_The _Bolton _boy?" his voice was masked with disbelief. _

"_Yes…"_

"_Well what the hell is he doing here?" Maria looked up and met Jose's eyes and all of a sudden she was thrust back into her seventeen year old self. She was the young girl who had made the mistake of falling for the enemy._

"_I asked you a question Maria? What the hell is the Bolton boy doing here?" Jose's voice was not a shout – on the contrary, it was just above a whisper. But the whisper was filled with such loathing and contempt that Maria flinched_

"_He loves her…"_

_Those three words slapped Jose Montez in the face. His face hardened, his jaw tight, as he turned around and immediately stalked away._

Opening the door to the waiting room, Jose walked in and looked on at the only occupants of the room. The three teenagers were sitting there, a blonde girl resting her head on an African American boy. He had his arm around his shoulder and looked to be comforting her.

Jose recognised the blonde girl as Sharpay Evans

His gaze then wandered to the boy who sat next to them. Jose noticed that the boy looked distraught, his gaze fixed on the wall as he stared vacantly.

Sharpay looked up as she noticed that someone else had entered the room

"Mr Montez…"

The two words snapped everyone out of their reverie. Troy's eyes immediately focused as he looked up to the gaze of the livid man.

The room was silent, tension building up uncontrollably.

"What are you doing here?" Jose's question was abrupt.

Troy flushed. He looked up and decided that he wasn't going to give Gabriella up.

He was going to fight for her.

He was going to get through her father.

"I came for the same reason you did sir – Gabriella…"

"What has my daughter got to do with you?" Jose asked, his voice trembling with fury

"Well… we…" Troy took a deep breath before deciding to come right out and say it. "I love her…"

Jose stepped back.

He drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly

"And _how_ can you love my daughter when you don't even know her?" Jose said, his voice a threatening whisper

The room was once again in silence. Chad and Sharpay looked away from the duo and instead pretended to be amazed by the wall.

Troy breathed deeply, attempting to calm down the frantic beating of his heart

"I _do_ know her sir."

Jose never got a chance to reply to that. Maria Montez ran into the room

"Gabi's woken up…"

And just like that, the conversation was dropped. All attention was on the three words that were uttered by the older woman. Jose immediately stalked out of the room, his steps set at an angry pace. Chad and Sharpay followed, Sharpay grabbing Troy's hesitant hand to pull him along

"You're coming with us Troy – you didn't wait this long not to see her…"

Just before Troy left the room, his eyes caught sight of the time

15:07

--

Only two people at a time were allowed to see her. Gabriella was awake, but she was weak.

Too weak

The doctors were still unsure about her; however, relented to letting her see her visitors, hoping that that would cheer her up.

Jose and Maria had gone in and come out, Maria clutching at her husband, tears streaming down her face.

Chad and Sharpay had gone and come out in a similar fashion

And now there was only Troy left.

Everyone else had disappeared – either in the waiting room or somewhere else in the hospital.

It was just him, waiting outside the door.

Drawing a deep breath, he pushed down on the handle and opened the door.

Gabriella lay in the bed, wires and tubes connected to her. She turned her head slightly to see who had opened the door.

Upon seeing Troy, her face broke out into an uncontrollable grin, allowing Troy to smile along with her.

"Hey…" she whispered hoarsely

"Hey…" Troy whispered back. He went to sit by the same chair he had occupied just a few hours ago

Gabriella looked at him, a different look in her eyes. He looked back questiongly

"What?" he asked, curious

Gabriella frowned slightly

"Did you get my e-mail?" she asked hesitantly

"E-mail?"

"I'll take that as a no…" Gabriella whispered

"What was it about?"

Gabriella blushed, looking away.

"Nothing important…" she murmured.

Troy sat there looking at her, smiling as he held her hand safely in his.

After a few minutes, Gabriella turned to look at him again

"Troy – can you do me a favour?" she asked

"Anything…"

"Can you read the e-mail?"

Troy's brow furrowed, wondering what exactly was in this e-mail.

"Sure…" he said, still puzzled

"Thank – you…" her voice was weak.

Troy stared at her.

Her grip on his hand was loosening.

And then he heard it

The sound stopped his heart

He froze

Her heart monitor started beating

"NURSE!" Troy shouted, releasing her hand as he ran to the door, wrenching the wood open and shouting "I need someone!"

A nurse came in and took one look at the frantic heart monitor before shouting over a doctor who was standing close by.

Troy was pushed to the back of the room as doctors and nurses rushed in, pumping Gabriella's chest and shouting at each other.

But all he could focus on was Gabriella

He saw her eyes were closed, her hands limp.

And then he heard it

The sound that confirmed it

The flat line


	4. Chapter 4

**Just 24 Hours**

**Summary:**

Friday evening 18:54; Gabriella Montez sat down to write the email. Saturday evening 18:54; Troy Bolton receives the email. It's shocking what 24 hours can do to your life. A lot of things can change - turning your world upside down

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High School Musical

**A/N**

So I'm aware that a lot of you were pretty pissed about what happened last chapter. And I'm sorry about that. Some of you weren't actually sure if Gabriella had died, so I hope that in this final chapter everything is concluded better for you.

Also, the length is ridiculously short – so I do apologise for that. I just didn't feel the need to go into too much detail over every singly minute of the remaining few hours – it wouldn't work

* * *

15:56

Troy stared vacantly at the wall. His mind was numb, he couldn't feel, couldn't think.

All he could hear were the sobs of Gabriella's parents and Sharpay.

He couldn't cry

He couldn't shed a tear

He was numb

"It's all my fault!"

Troy looked up slowly as he observed Gabriella's mum who had just blurted out the self accusation

"I sent her out – I should never have sent her out…"

Troy shook his head. It wasn't her fault – it wasn't any one's fault.

He wanted to blame

He wanted to point the finger at someone

But that was useless

Gabriella was gone – _his_ Gabriella was gone.

And she was never going to come back

Troy leaned his head against the wall, letting the cold plaster cool down his throbbing head

--

"Is she feeling better?" Troy asked Chad as Sharpay walked up the driveway to her house.

The trio had decided to leave the hospital – after all, there wasn't that much for them to do.

Troy had spoken to Gabriella's parents, her father still looked down on him; however, her mother had surprised him and drawn him in for a hug.

"_I spoke to her about you – when she had woken up. She said she wanted to see you Troy. You were obviously special to her. I'm so sorry…"_

_Troy stood frozen in place, unable to believe that Gabriella's mother was showing any sign of comfort to him_

_Troy felt all the signs of wanting to cry_

_And yet he still could not shed a tear_

"No – she has just lost her best friend. She just wants to be on her own now – I'm afraid she's going to shut me out…" Chad stated before looking worriedly at his best friend. "But how are you doing man? I haven't seen you cry at all?"

There was a short silence

"I can't…" Troy whispered "I can't cry. I can't do anything. I can't release any of this pain and anger that I'm feeling – it just won't happen."

* * *

Troy walked into his bedroom. He was in a daze.

When he walked through the front door he was bombarded with questions by his curious parents; however, refused to answer.

They wouldn't understand after all – what would a Montez's death be of pain to their son?

And then he saw it – his computer.

"_Did you get my e-mail?" she asked hesitantly_

"_E-mail?"_

"_I'll take that as a no…" Gabriella whispered_

"_What was it about?"_

_Gabriella blushed, looking away._

"_Nothing important…" she murmured. _

_Troy sat there looking at her, smiling as he held her hand safely in his._

_After a few minutes, Gabriella turned to look at him again_

"_Troy – can you do me a favour?" she asked_

"_Anything…"_

"_Can you read the e-mail?"_

_Troy's brow furrowed, wondering what exactly was in this e-mail._

"_Sure…" he said, still puzzled_

"_Thank – you…" her voice was weak._

Troy forced his mind to block out what happened next.

Practically running over to the computer he switched it on. The minutes it took for it to load ticked past at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Finally the desktop showed up and Troy logged onto his e-mail account

5 new messages

Troy bypassed all the others until he saw the one he was looking for. Double clicking on the link, Troy sat down to read it.

The time was 18: 47

_Dear Troy_

_So I'm telling you now – this e-mail isn't going to be like my normal 'Hey Troy. Bored out of my mind so e-mail me back to keep me going insane'_

_This will have a more serious tone to it – because I'm being serious as hell here. Now if you don't want to read it – don't. I may prefer that as it could save me a whole load of embarrassment. I just want to get this out – to know that I told you._

_I have feelings for you._

_There! I said it. I – Gabriella Montez, have feelings for you – Troy Bolton. I've disobeyed my father and gone and fallen for a Bolton – the enemy. But to be honest, it's not really my fault. I mean – for some reason, we were put a majority of classes together, therefore causing us to have to see each other on a daily basis._

_And then our best friends got together._

_I say – blame Chad and Sharpay! If they hadn't gotten together, I wouldn't be declaring my feelings for you in a flipping e-mail, seeing as we wouldn't have been forced to spend time together. And at first our prejudiced minds got the best of us. Our fathers had done a bloody good job of brainwashing us into thinking that the other was lower than shit._

_And then we were locked in the closet_

_Again – blame Chad and Sharpay. They got so sick of us bitching about each other – they locked us in a closet! Sharpay, of course, got the idea from one of her ridiculous chick – clicks. And Chad went along with it because after all – it is Sharpay!_

_And whilst we were stuck in the closet we figured that our parents may have exaggerated – just a bit. Because you really didn't seem like the 'party animal, man whore, fucked up bastard' my dad thought you were when I managed to bash my head on a shelf, lost my balance and fell on top of you. _

_And after that we just grew closer and closer together. Of course our parents know nothing about us – they'd flip! And I guess my dad would probably have a heart attack if he found out about my feelings for you._

_And you're probably freaking out right now. I mean, the girl you were brought up to hate, the girl who you actually succeeded in hating up until just less than a year ago, is actually confessing her feelings towards you._

_And I guess that explains my reasoning or confessing all this to you in an e-mail. I'm no Troy Bolton. I'm not confident – I'm a coward; and I'm scared. Scared of my feelings for you, scared of rejection – scared of everything. _

_Scared that right now I've scared you away._

_I'm actually shit scared about seeing you next – so if I go all weird/pretend like I didn't send this e-mail, I apologise in advance. I was pretty scared about writing this e-mail to you, and I actually sat here for hours thinking of how I was going to write this. I started writing this at 5 to 7. And it's now 10 o'clock that I'm sending this to you! That's how freaking scared I was! I pressed the backspace button so many times! But then I just decided to write whatever came to my mind – no editing._

_So my unedited thoughts?_

_I've fallen for you. I think I may even be in love with you. It's a strong emotion – but that's how I feel._

_XxxGabriellaxxX _

Troy stopped breathing, his bloody chilling over, his heart nearly stopping.

She loved him

They could have been together

And yet she had been cruelly torn from him

Troy looked away from the taunting words to the time

18:54

She had said that she had started writing the e-mail confessing her love for him at 5 to seven

24 hours ago

It's surprising what 24 hours can do to your life

It can turn your world upside down

Troy Bolton learnt this the hard way, as just 24 hours after his love decided to confess her feelings; he was left mourning her death

Troy Bolton bent his head and a lone tear trickled down his cheek

_Just 24 hours_

* * *

A/N So that's this finished. This chapter feels really blah - and I don't think it's that good. However, I didn't want to keep you waiting ages and I honestly couldn't think of a better way to conclude it - so this is it

I do apologise for the constant late updates – but school's getting to be too much.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story. And if your right now cursing me, I am sorry – but you know from a lot of my stories that I have a tendency to go all melodramatic and write angst and tragedy.

I do hope though that the next one shot I post will be a happy one (I am in the process of writing one so – we'll see)

Anyway, reviews are appreciated!

Thank you to all those who stuck with me despite my inconsistent updates. And thank you to those who didn't stop reading just because this story was starting to take a sad twist.

XxxNicolexxX


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